Philosophy Department

Introduction to the Department

Philosophy, we believe, is integral to a person’s education, and certainly integral to the mission of a liberal arts college like Ohio Wesleyan University.

With a major in philosophy, you will gain a broad understanding of the history of philosophy and a deep appreciation for it as a practical discipline. By “practical philosophy,” we mean philosophy especially dedicated to questions about how to live and act, and how to understand and evaluate our own lives.

Department Features

Another essential skill in philosophy is writing. Majors must complete a Senior Research Seminar, in which a single paper is revised and developed through the course of a semester.

Our courses guide students in developing meaningful interpretations of difficult philosophical texts. Students develop abilities associated with oral communication: the ability to listen carefully to the ideas of others, to raise precise and interesting questions, and to articulate and defend complex ideas.

Available Majors

Philosophy Major

Philosophy majors develop important skills through detailed textual analysis and lively intellectual debates that prepare them for careers in business, law, medicine, teaching, and the ministry. A low student-faculty ratio provides for a variety of carefully supervised individual research projects.

Requirements

Meet Our People

Scott Calef

Professor of Philosophy

Professor Calef specializes in ancient philosophy and applied ethics. He also has expertise in modern and analytic philosophy. He has published widely, particularly in the fields of ancient philosophy, applied ethics, and philosophy and popular culture.

Erin Flynn

Associate Professor of Philosophy

Professor Flynn is interested in the intersection of philosophy and popular culture. He recently published “Celebrating the Agony of Life,” an essay on Nietzsche and Led Zeppelin, and “Blursed!,” an essay on the Red Sox and their curse.

Shari Stone-Mediatore

Professor of Philosophy

Professor Stone-Mediatore specializes in the politics of knowledge, a theme she has pursued through Kant, Marx, and Arendt as well as feminist philosophy, Latin American philosophy, and narrative theory. She is the author of the book Reading Across Borders: Storytelling and Knowledges of Resistance.

Philosophy in Mexico

Travel to Chiapas, Mexico, with special topics course on “Modernity and Colonialism.”

Inspiring a Campus Mural

Kerrigan Boyd ’15 was inspired to help create OWU’s new mural, in part, by her participation in a Travel-Learning Course to Chiapas, Mexico, with philosophy professor Shari Stone-Mediatore. The course explored the life of the Zapatistas, who have claimed autonomy from the Mexican state to create a society more sensitive to indigenous peoples.